CG Challenges Sill to 'Get Out and Get Fit'

Thousands of runners, walkers and strollers climb Sheridan Road during the CG's Challenge Run/Walk April 13 at Fort Sill. It's theme was "Get Out and Get Fit." The semiannual event was preceded by a health and wellness expo at Polo Field.

Thousands of runners, walkers and strollers climb Sheridan Road during the CG's Challenge Run/Walk April 13 at Fort Sill. It's theme was "Get Out and Get Fit." The semiannual event was preceded by a health and wellness expo at Polo Field.

FORT SILL, Okla.-- Thousands gathered for the CG's Challenge: Get Out and Get Fit, April 13, at Fort Sill Polo Field. Soldiers, family members and civilians got answers from the experts on everything from exercise to nutrition to smoking cessation.

Maj. Gen. David Halverson, Fires Center of Excellence and Fort Sill commanding general, joined everyone one last time before he leaves Fort Sill.

Before the crowd took off for their run or walk, Claudia Mejia, Fort Sill Garrison fitness coordinator, was working the crowd to the beats of the 77th Army Band's Latin Band. As soon as the music ended, she was already busy planning the next step in Fort Sill's fitness. She said the key is motivation.

"This event [happens] every six months. If we're doing it just one time we won't get fit, but if you're committed to something and you really want to do it Diana [Faulk, fitness instructor] and I are always here. You can talk to us and we'll give hints and tips on how to stay dedicated," said Mejia.

She is not alone in working on the health of Fort Sill's Soldiers and families. While she is busy creating sweat beads on the bodies of those who attend her classes, the employees at the Resiliency Training Campus Body Wellness Center, Building 2868 Craig Road, have a plan that begins the holistic approach to health.

Capt. Adam Kieffer, Reynolds Army Community Hospital outpatient nutrition chief, works there and his advice to gaining the fitness level desired is to start with the RTC's BODPOD.

"BODPOD uses air to figure out how much volume you displace. It tells someone their exact percent body fat, tells them in pounds, and tells you how many pounds of fat and how many pounds of lean tissue you have," said Kieffer. "The usefulness of it is say a month of activity goes by -- you start exercising, you're going to gain lean tissue. But, the scale won't reflect that. In fact it's going to show an increase in your weight, so people get frustrated when they're actually making some positive modifications."

Kieffer said by combining a person's BODPOD results and the myplate.gov standard it creates a recipe for healthy living.

"The BODPOD is useful in my opinion because you get your baseline data and then you can convert that into actually dietary recommendations. So, if someone tells me they need 1,200 calories a day we do 400 calories per meal and then we break it down per plate after that," said Kieffer.

Sgt. Delicia Pitts, C Battery, 3rd Battalion, 6th Air Defense Artillery, was among the Soldiers and her son, Deniko, was in tow as she stopped by the nutrition table. She said it is a challenge to ensure her child knows the right things to eat as they are constantly bombarded by fast food opportunities.

"All they see is fast food, candy and sugar, everything that is not healthy so if that's all they see they have to have that other side," said Pitts.

Kieffer said the old food pyramid may have been too confusing with suggestions such as eating six to 11 servings of grain a day. Now myplate.gov shows what each meal should look like. A recommendation Pitts and others can easily adhere to.

She said she wanted to make sure her son remained healthy with proper diet and exercise. The exercise portion didn't seem to be an issue as he immediately went to work trying out his new pedometer.

For information on fitness call Mejia at 442-6171. Fitness classes offered can be found at www.sillmwr.com. For information on scheduling a BODPOD appointment call 442-0680. For more information on tobacco cessation call 442-0684.